Gov. Dave Heineman expects the state to defend its definition of marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union has announced it will challenge the law, which bans same-sex marriage.

Heineman says the law deserves to be defended.

“The people of Nebraska in 2000 voted overwhelmingly that marriage is between a man and a woman. That’s what Nebraskans believe and I know the current Attorney General and I’m confident the Attorney General-elect are going to fight very vigorously that we, the people of Nebraska, decided what we wanted to do,” Heineman tells reporters during a news conference at the Capitol. “This wasn’t a vote of the legislature. This was a vote of all of our citizens, who said very strongly, very forcefully, and overwhelmingly that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

The ACLU has challenged the law before. It actually appeared to have succeeded in its effort to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage when a federal judge agreed with its argument and struck the law down in 2005. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, though, overruled the judge and reinstated the ban.

Officials with the ACLU in Nebraska say recent rulings from the United States Supreme Court encouraged them to again attempt to overturn the law.